SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – The San Francisco Police Department is looking to clear the air following an incident over the weekend when two innocent bystanders were wounded by an officer who was firing at a suspect in North Beach.

At a community meeting on Monday night, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr told North Beach residents that an officer pursuing a suspect fired a single shot, after the suspect pointed a TEC-9 machine pistol with a high capacity magazine at officers early Saturday morning.

KCBS’ Susan Kennedy Reports:

SF Police Chief Defends North Beach Shooting

“The department could not feel worse that the fact that two bystanders were harmed,” Suhr said. “The officer was not intending to hit anybody but the suspect that was threatening his life.”

Suhr said because of that, he doesn’t believe the officer violated department policy.

“The alternative of having a suspect out there with an offensive weapon like this assault pistol, I’ll take that every time versus having up to as many as 22 rounds sprayed along the Broadway corridor,” he said.

The shooting is still under investigation. The suspect, 20-year-old Jesus Rodriguez, is being charged with assault on a police officer and weapons and narcotics violations.

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